Kostas Manolas scouting report: His pace, strength and Champions League experience key to Arsenal's interest in the defender

• Olympiacos defender Manolas would be a good addition to Arsenal's squad
• The 23-year-old excelled for Greece in run to the last-16 at the World Cup 
• Arsenal after a new centre-back following Thomas Vermaelen departure
• Manolas has Champions League experience with the Greek champions 

By Sami Mokbel for MailOnline

Published: 08:48 EST, 19 August 2014 | Updated: 09:15 EST, 19 August 2014

Following the departure of Thomas Vermaelen to Barcelona, Arsene Wenger is on the hunt for a new centre-back to bolster his defensive options.

Calum Chambers may have arrived from Southampton, with the 19-year-old putting in a couple of fine displays so far against Manchester City in the Community Shield and Crystal Palace in the Premier League, but Wenger is determined to add extra cover in the position.

Targeted, then, is Olympiacos defender Kostas Manolos. Here, Sportsmail runs the rule over the Greek international to assess whether he is the right fit for Arsenal.  

Runner: Kostas Manolas (right) chases the ball against AC Milan's Giamopaolo Pazzini

Tussle: The Greek champions faced the Italian giants during the International Champions Cup in pre-season

Kostas who?

Manolas. He’s 23, a centre-back. He’s a good height for a centre-half, too, 6ft 2ins. He currently plays for Olympiakos. His uncle is Stelios Manolas, who played 71 times for Greece.

Why do Arsenal want him?

First and foremost they are in need of a centre-back following Thomas Vermaelen’s departure to Barcelona. 

Secondly, he’s actually quite good. He’s got Champions League experience with Olympiakos which is obviously a big attraction for Arsene Wenger. His performances for Greece during the World Cup were promising, too, particularly against Didier Drogba and Joel Campbell. 

For a tall guy, he’s no slouch either, which will be important in the rapid world of the Barclays Premier League.

Tussle: Manolas fights for the ball with Robin van Persie during the Champions League last season

Seems like a no brainer then?

Not quite. He’s spent his entire career playing in Greece; not the most competitive league in European football. So while he has produced top performances in the Champions League and World Cup, he hasn’t produced consistent performances in one of the continent’s top leagues.

So what’s his background?

He began his career at Thrasyvoulos, making his first team debut as an 17-year-old in 2009. But he didn’t stick around at Thrasyvoulos for long. He was quickly scouted by his uncle Stelios, who was technical director at AEK Athens at the time. 

And in June 2009, he signed a three-year contract with the Greek giants. ‘I am very happy signing for the team I support, hopefully I can be a legend at the club like my uncle and end my career at AEK.’ In his first seven matches for AEK, he was voted man of the match for five of them. He helped AEK to the Greek Cup in 2011, before moving to Olympiakos in 2012.

World stage: Manolas impressed during the World Cup with Greece

If he is that good why hasn’t he move earlier?

He’s certainly had interested parties. Then Everton manager David Moyes was interested in taking Manolas to Goodison Park in January 2012, saying: ‘Manolas has huge talent and is a player of the future.’ 

But Manolas was reported to have turned down a move to Merseyside. And the links to the Barclays Premier League have not gone away. Tottenham, Sunderland and Fulham were all after the 23-year-old in January, while Liverpool have been credited with an interest this summer.

VIDEO Arsenal heading in the right direction - Winterburn

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